How We Use Energy Now

With the never ending rise in cost of energy,how we use energy
in so many different ways is vitally important. Of course we use
electricity to light our houses, streets, and buildings. We use
gasoline to power our cars. We use fossil fuel sources to heat our
houses as well.

Natural gas is the most widely used energy source in American
homes, followed by electricity, heating oil and propane.

Natural gas and heating oil (fuel oil) are used mainly for
home heating. Electricity may also be used for heating and cooling,
plus it lights our homes and runs almost all of our appliances
including refrigerators, toasters, and computers. Many homes in rural
areas use propane for heating, while others use it to fuel their
barbecue grills.

But many of our other “conveniences” also use up available
resources. Plastic containers use petroleum as it’s raw
material. Paper uses our trees which many of us use to
heat our homes.

Energy Consumption Uses Natural Resources

Because thermoelectric power plants, our main manufacturing
technique for electricity, uses a lot of water for cooling purposes, we
find that 40% of our fresh water supply is actually used
by them. This is often an unseen issue of our current
energy sources and makes the benefits of alternative energy like wind,
solar, and geothermal that much more compelling.

What’s more, our gasoline and oil consumption is also closely
tied to water use. Refining oil and gasoline requires large quantities
of water, and in 2006, for example, the U.S. Department of Energy
estimated that we used 1 to 2 billion gallons of water a
day for refining petroleum. Likewise, it takes between 1
and 2.5 gallons of water to refine a single gallon of gasoline -
meaning that the 384 million gallons of gasoline that Americans burn
daily translates to over a billion gallons of water used per day.

Modern Conveniences

The ability to maintain desired temperatures is one of the
most important accomplishments of modern technology. Our ovens,
freezers, and homes can be kept at any temperature we choose, a luxury
that wasn't possible 100 years ago.

But keeping our homes comfortable uses a lot of energy. Almost
half of the average home's energy consumption is used for heating.
Another 17 percent is used for water heating, 6 percent for cooling
rooms, and 5 percent for refrigeration.

Almost one-fourth of the energy used in homes is used for
lighting and appliances. Lighting is essential to a modern society.
Lights have revolutionized the way we live, work, and play.

How Energy is Used in Homes

Most homes still use the traditional incandescent
bulbs invented by Thomas Edison. These bulbs convert
only about ten percent of the electricity they use to produce light,
the other 90 percent is converted into heat. With new technologies,
such as better filament designs and gas mixtures, incandescent bulbs
are more efficient than they used to be.

In 1879, the average bulb produced only 14 lumens per watt,
compared to about 17 lumens per watt today. By adding
halogen gases, the efficiency can be increased to 20 lumens per watt.

Compact fluorescent bulbs, or "CFLs", have made inroads into
home lighting systems in the last few years. These bulbs are more
expensive to purchase, but last much longer and use much less energy,
producing significant savings over the life of the bulb.

Appliances such as water heaters, refrigerators, washing
machines and dryers are also more energy efficient than they used to
be. In 1990 Congress passed the National Appliance
Energy Conservation Act, which requires new appliances to meet strict
energy efficiency standards. Learn more about energy
efficient light bulbs and appliances, and other ways to save energy at
home.

Types of Energy Used In Homes

Natural gas is the most widely used energy source in American
homes, followed by electricity, heating oil and propane. Natural gas
and heating oil (fuel oil) are used mainly for home heating.
Electricity may also be used for heating and cooling, plus it lights
our homes and runs almost all of our appliances including
refrigerators, toasters, and computers. Many homes in rural areas use
propane for heating, while others use it to fuel their barbecue grills.

Energy Use In Different Types of Homes

About 80 percent of residential energy use is consumed in
single family homes, while 15 percent is consumed in multi-family
dwellings such as apartments, and 5 percent is consumed in mobile homes.

More than half of the energy used for heating in single-family
homes (either attached or detached) is natural gas, about one-fourth is
electricity, and one-tenth is fuel oil (heating oil). Over
three-fourths of single-family homes have some type of air
conditioning. Almost all single-family homes have a washing machine and
a dryer.

Among Single-Family Dwellings:

In 2001, for the Main Heating Fuel and Equipment:

60% use Natural Gas

23% use Electricity

8% use Fuel Oil

5% use LPG

1% use Kerosene

78% of single family homes have air conditioning (central
system, wall/window units - or both)

For Appliances:

95% have a clothes washer

90% have a clothes dryer

63% have a personal computer

Multi-Family Dwellings

Multi-family dwellings such as apartments use about equal
amounts of natural gas and electricity for heating. About two-thirds of
multi-family homes have air conditioning but only about one-fourth
contain washers and dryers.
Among Multi-Family Dwellings:

In 2001, for the Main Heating Fuel and Equipment:

For Appliances:

32% have a clothes washer

27% have a clothes dryer

41% have a personal computer

Mobile Homes

Mobile homes are more likely than the other types of homes to
heat with propane(LPG). More than one-third of mobile homes use
electricity and about one-third use natural gas for heating. Most
mobile homes contain washing machines and dryers.
Among Mobile Homes:

In 2001, for the Main Heating Fuel and Equipment:

32% use Natural Gas

43% use Electricity

3% use Fuel Oil

15% use LPG

4% use Kerosene

68% of mobile homes have air conditioning(central system,
wall/window units - or both

For Appliances:

85% have a clothes washer

76% have a clothes dryer

40% have a personal computer

President Obama's Energy Plan

President Obama in his Inaugural speech had much to say about
how he viewed the benefits of alternative energy.

"That we are in the midst of crisis is now well understood
... Each day brings further evidence that the ways we use energy
strengthen our adversaries and threaten our planet."

He expanded on this point a few lines later:

"For everywhere we look, there is work to be done. The state
of the economy calls for action, bold and swift, and we will act -- not
only to create new jobs, but to lay a new foundation for growth. We
will build the roads and bridges, the electric grids and digital lines
that feed our commerce and bind us together. We will restore science to
its rightful place, and wield technology's wonders to raise health
care's quality and lower its cost. We will harness the sun and the
winds and the soil to fuel our cars and run our factories. And we will
transform our schools and colleges and universities to meet the demands
of a new age. All this we can do. And all this we will do."

He went on to say.

"... we can meet those new threats that demand even greater
effort -- even greater cooperation and understanding between nations ...

With old friends and former foes, we will work tirelessly to
lessen the nuclear threat, and roll back the specter of a warming
planet."

Obama offered a call to act on a variety of great tasks in the
strongest possible terms, most especially on clean energy, resource
efficiency, and global warming.

"Let it be said by our children's children that when we were
tested we refused to let this journey end, that we did not turn back
nor did we falter; and with eyes fixed on the horizon and God's grace
upon us, we carried forth that great gift of freedom and delivered it
safely to future generations."

The Bottom Line

If we can reduce our consumption of energy we can make a
significant difference in our lives, our economy, and our dependence on
foreign sources. Combined with new alternative and renewable energy we
can change the lives of our children for the better.

Learn More

At All Energy Solutions we keep
our finger on the pulse of the latest news about Alternative and
Renewable Energy. We are comitted to helping keep you informed with the
latest news and resources to help you take advantage of the bright
future in Alternative Energy Solutions. Please Contact Us if you have
suggestions or information you'd like us to share.

Sign Up For The All Energy Newsletter

Email

Name

Don't worry -- your e-mail address is totally secure.
I promise to use it only to send you All Energy
Newsletter.

Member of The American
Solar Energy Society

All Energy Resources

Wind power is the fastest growing
source of electricity, according to the Electric Power Research
Institute (EPRI). EPRI also projects that wind power may be our lowest
cost source of electricity within ten years.